Improvement in harvesters



' Z 5 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. BALL.

Combined Reaper and Mower.

No. 25,797. Patented Oct. 18. 1859.

. 5 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. BALL.

Combined Reaper and Mower.

Patented 0a. 18, 1859.

No. 25,797." I

.5 Sheets-Sheet 3. E. BALL.

Combined Reaper and Mower.

Patented Oct. 18,4859.

- Jwwsn/Zar/ ,5 Sheets-Sheet' 4. E. BALL.

. Combined R eaper and Mower; No. 25,797. V Patented Oct. 18, 1859.

E. BALL.

Conibined Reaper and Mower.

No. 25,797. Patented Oct. 18, 1859.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. BALL, or CANTON, OHIO.

IMPROVEM ENT IN HA RVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,797, dated October 18, 1859.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, E. BALL, of Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Reapers and Mowers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a sufficientl y full and exact descriptionthereof to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my said improvements, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification.

Figure 1, Plate I, is a top or plan view of the machine when arranged for mowing. Fig. 2, Plate I, is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the outer end ofthefinger-beam and track-clearer. Fig. 4 isa side view of the same. Fig. 5 is a section on lineA B, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section showing the heel of the finger beam and the parts attached thereto, looking in the direction of arrow 1, Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a view of the device for throwing the gearing in and out of action. Fig. Sis a section on line a. b, Fig. 1; and Fig. 9 is a plan view ofthe seat for the rakcr. In Plate II of the accompanying drawings, Fig. 10 is a rear view of the machine when arranged for mowing, with the finger-beam turned up against the frame for passing from one field to another. Fig. 11 is a plan view of the reaping attachment. Figs. 12, 13, 14, and 15 are detached sections. Fig. 16 is a vertical section through the center of the coupling-arm t, and Figs. 17 and 18 are views of the shipping-lever and stand.

The same-.letters of reference refer to the same parts in all of the figures.

The main frame Ais of rectangular form, and is supported upon axles a a. of the independent wheels 15 B, which turn in suitable bearin gs, the outer bearings, b 12, only being shown in the drawings.

To the inside of the wheels B B are attached in any suitable manner gear-wheels 0, (see Fig. 2,) having teeth or cogs on their inner surfaces to work intothe teeth on small wheels (I, which run loose onthe shaft 0, but which have ratchet-disks attached in snchaman ner as that when the machine is drawn forward by means of the draft-pole H pawls attached to the inside of the cases 0 0 take into their respective ratchet-teeth, and thus turn the shaft 0, the cases 0 0 being rigidly attached to the shaft e. As this arrangement is similar to that described in the patent granted to John Butter and myself, December 1, 1857, no more minute description is here necessary further than it may be observed that the machine when being backed does not operate the shaft 0.

On the center of the shaft 6 is a hnb,f, against which bears the hub of the gear-wheel f, which turns loosely on the shaft 0, and which also gears into the wheel g on the crank-shaft h, which is supported by suitable hearings in an inclined position under the frame.

To the lower end of the crank-shaft his fastened a balance-wheel, t, and to which the pitman-rod k is attached by a swiveled connece ti0n,j, while the other end is attached to the cutter-bar latj, so that as the shaft h revolves a reciprocating motion is imparted to the cutters m, which Work through guard-fingers n, attached to the finger-bar l). The finger-bar D is fastened to a swinging plate, G, hinged to the lower end of the brace bar or plate E at There is also attached to the plate E a guide-piece, F, to keep the plate G steady as it turns on its hinge r, the upper end of the plate G working between shoulders on the piece F. When it is desired to fix the plate G in a rigid relative position as respects the brace-plateE the screw .9, which works through the pieceF into the plate G, is turned up, so as to hold the plate firm. To obviate the necessity, however, of taking out the screw-nut 8 every time the change is made. the piece F is provided with a slot, so that the screw-nut s needonly be loosened sufficiently to play freely up and down in the piece F when it is desired to permit the plate G to turn on its hinge. The brace-plate'E is attached to the front of the frame by a hinge-joint, as fully shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

To keep the finger-bar and cutting apparatus from being wrenched laterally, a couplingarm, t, is hinged to the plate G at u, and to the hanger u by a SWlV6l-jOll1l},"Zt".

To give greater strength to the brace-plate E and guide-piece F, they are connected by' the truss-rod q, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

The outer end of theiinger-beam D is provided with a shoe, 0, and the shoe 0 has hinged to its rear a track-clearer consisting of two curved arms, 19 p, hinged to a common center, and provided with a nut and bolt, p, so

that their outer ends can be adjusted and held N, and M is the rakers fo ot-board, attached in different relative positions. 4, and 10.)

To the top of the rear part of the main frame A is secured in suitable bearings a shaft, J, which has connected to its outer'end a grooved pulley or wheel, J, while to its inner end is connected the lever I. A chain or rope, b, is connected to the wheel J, and also to the coupling-arm t, as fully shown in Fig. 10. A catch plate, 0, is fastened to the upper rear part of the frame, as shown in the drawings, in such (See Figs. 2, 3,

relative positions as respects the fulcrum of the lever I that a pin or other suitable device attached to the lower part of said lever will catch into the holes in the plate 0 and hold the lever in any desired position, the lever being so constructed that it can be moved laterally, so as to release the pin or catch from the plate 0 when it is desired to change the position of the lever.

The draft-pole H is held between shoulders cast or formed on the draft-piece c by means of a bolt, 3 The head of the bolt y, being allowed to drop into the opening or of the plate w,is then moved, together with the draft-piece c and pole H, laterally, so as to cause the body of the bolt y to move into the slot 00 in the plate w, when the nut on the bolt y is tightened, so as to hold the pole H firmly to the plate to, which is rigidly attached to the frontv of the frame A. (SeeF1gs. 1, 2, and 8.) When it is desired to change the relative position of the pole H to adjust the draft all that is necessary to do is to loosen the nut on the bolt y and move or slide the bolt, pole H, and piece c to the desired position, and then tighten the nut again. The plate to has shoulders to, which fit on each side of the front piece of the frame A, while the draft-piece v has shoulders c, which in turn fit over the sides of the plate w, thus rendering the draft-adjusting-device both strong and simple.

The shippinglever K is pivoted at e to its standard L,which in turn is bolted to the covering or floor M, so that the forked end 6 of the lever extends down through the floor M and works in the groove 9 in the slotted shipper-piece f, which is free to slide back and forth on the shaft 0, but is caused to turn with the shaft e by means of the pin 71., which passes through the shaft and extends on each side thereof into the slot in the shipper-piece f. By reference to Fig. 7 it will be seen that by working the lever so as to move or slide the shippingpiece f back and forth the cutters can be thrown into or out of action, at the pleasure of the driver, when the machine is being moved forward. The lever K is provided with a hole, into which fits a pin, d, in the upper end of the standard L when the cutters are to be operated; but when they are to be stopped the driver takes hold of the lever and lifts it up and moves it to one side of the pin, as shown in Fig. 18.

- N is the drivers seat, supported by springs to the rear of the frame.

M, Fig. 11, is the grain-platform, M the reel, M the connecting-plate, and M the inner reel-support, to be attached to the part F on the brace-plate E by bolts 0.

Figs. 12, 13, 14, and 15 represent detached sections of the reaping attachment. As it is, however, my intention to apply for a separate patent on, my improvements in the reaping attachments, they will not be more particularly described in this connection.

When mowing, the finger-beam being attached to the hinged plate G, the front of the fingers can rise and fall to a limited extent, while the rear end of thc-brace-plate E rests on the ground, so that the fronts of the cutters are not so liable to run into slight and sudden elevations of the ground as they would without this provision. The driver, too, by means of the lever I, can with but little effort turn up the front of the fingers at pleasure without raising either end of the finger-beam off of the ground, as shown in red, Fig. 6. When, however, it is desired to raise the finger-beam and sickle entirely off of the ground, (and the front of the plate G is allowed to play up and down in the slot in the piece F,) the driver has to turn the lever I, so as to draw the front of the plate G up against a stop on the top of the guide-piece F, or until the screw s strikes against the top of its slot, when the fingerbeam can be raised entirely ofi of the ground, and in nearly a horizontal position, the top of the inner side of the hinged plate G coming in contact with the couplingarm t, as shown in Fig. 16 at G.

In moving the machine from field to field the finger-bar D, together with the cutting apparatus, being turned up, as shown in Fig. 10, they are held in that position by means of a hook or catch, 1, on the lever I, beinginserted into a slot in the track-clearer and held firmly in place by the bolt 19, which can be moved back and forth, in connection with the arms 2 p, which can be moved so as to grasp firmly anything placed in the slot in which the bolt 12 works. When the finger-beam is raised into a vertical position the cutter bar is liable to slide down onto the ground, and to prevent which I provide the couplin g-arm t with a spur, It, so that the pitman-rod 70 will rest upon that, and thus hold the cutter-bar in place, as shown in Fig. 10.

Having described my combined. reaping and mowing machine, what 1 claim in this patent 1s- 1. The hinged plate G, constructed as shown and specified, in combination, with the fingerbar D and brace-plate E, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the coupling arm t, (swiveled only at the point of connection with the main frame,) in combination with hinged plate Gr, hinged brace-plate E, and guide-piece F, substantially as set forth.

3. The guide-piece F, in combination with and adjusting-screw s with the slotted guidethe brace-rod q, hinged plate G, brace-plate E, piece F, hinged brace plate E, and chain 1), coupling-arm t, and chain b, substantially as arranged as and for the purposes set forth. described.

' 4. Thecomhination andrelativearrangement BALL of spur k with coupling-arm t and pitma-n k, as Witnesses: and for the purposes set forth. DANIEL GoTsHALL, 5. The combination of the hinged plate G JACOB KEPLINGER. 

